77 research outputs found
Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment for production of biofuels from spent coffee grounds
No full textSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering: Chemical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2023.Spent Coffee Grounds (SCGs) are one of the most abundant agro-industrial residues generated from the coffee brewing industry and coffee espresso machines in restaurants, cafeterias, cafes and homes. It is believed that for every ton of coffee beans processed, 650 kg of SCG is left as solid residues. Coffee being the second traded commodity after petroleum, means that a lot of SCGs are generated annually and end up into landfills. Efforts are being made to turn this valuable waste into biofuels, however, most of these efforts end up at laboratory benches and few studies have focused on industrial scale production of biofuels from SCG. Six biomass-to-energy conversion technologies were compared from technical, economic and environmental perspectives: Fast pyrolysis, Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL), gasification, Anaerobic Digestion (AD), fermentation and biodiesel production. The processing technologies were selected because they are the most researched biomass-to-fuel conversion routes. Each of the processing routes was simulated in Aspen plus V11 using input data from literature. The mass and energy balances obtained from simulations were used to conduct Techno-Economic Analyses (TEAs) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). TEA was conducted with help of Aspen Process Economic Analyzer (APEA) and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets whereas OpenLCA V1.11.0 software was employed for LCA. After the processing routes were successfully simulated, APEA was used to estimate the installed Cost of all Equipment (COE). The Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) required to build the biorefineries was then estimated basing on COE for each biorefinery. Then the Operating Expenses (OPEX) required for running the day-to-day operations of the plant were estimated as the sum of Variable Operating Expenses (VOC) and Fixed Operating Expenses (FOC). The revenues from the sales of finished products were estimated and used to calculate the gross profit. For the plant life of 25 years; using straight-line depreciation of 10% per year, discount rate of 12% and tax rate of 28%, the Discounted Cash Flow Analysis (DCFA) was used to calculate the economic indicators i.e. the Net Present Value (NPV), Profitability Index (PI), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Discounted Payback Period (DPBP). For LCA, the methodology outlined by the ISO 14040/44 framework was used. The method outlines four steps followed to conduct LCA i.e. goal and cope definition, Life Cycle Inventory (LCI), Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) and interpretation of results. The goal of this study was to identify the processing route with least environmental impacts and the cradle-to-gate system boundary was selected. LCI was conducted using the mass and energy balances obtained from Aspen plus simulation and the flows present in the Agribalyse Version 3 database, downloaded from OpenLCA nexus. LCIA was conducted using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) and was also downloaded from OpenLCA nexus. Eight impact categories namely, global warming, fossil resource scarcity, particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, mineral resource scarcity and water consumption were selected. The results were analysed to identify the conversion route with less environmental effects. Results from the economic analysis showed that fast pyrolysis was the most economically profitable processing route with a NPV, PI, DPBP and IRR of 6.3 million USD, 1.85, 5.4 years and 37%, respectively. In the second position was biogas production with a NPV, PI, DPBP and IRR of 3.4 million USD, 1.65, 5.7 years and 34%, respectively. Gasification was in the third position with a NPV, PI, DPBP and IRR of 5.4 million USD, 1.48, 6.0 years and 32%, respectively. In the fourth position was biodiesel production with a NPV, PI, DPBP and IRR of 3.9 million USD, 0.86, 8.0 years and 24%, respectively. HTL was in the fifth position with a NPV, PI, DPBP and IRR of 0.68 million USD, 0.29, 13.0 years and 16%, respectively. Bioethanol production was not economically profitable as the revenues generated from sales of finished products were smaller than the operating expenses, thus no profit could be generated. Results from environmental impact assessment showed that fast pyrolysis was the most environmentally friendly processing route, followed by biogas production, biodiesel production, gasification, and bioethanol production, whereas HTL had the highest environmental impacts. Electricity consumption was the biggest contributor to the environmental impacts, making HTL, which was the highest electricity consuming processing route, to be the worst environmentally. However, biogas production was the least electricity consuming processing route but not the best environmentally due to large production of carbon dioxide and methane (biogas) from anaerobic digestion. The large production of carbon dioxide can be mitigated through using it to grow algae or in supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of lipids. However, the cost associated with additional unit processes can escalate the biogas production costs. These greenhouse gases were the biggest contributors of global warming, pushing biogas production to the second position after pyrolysis.Fast pyrolysis was proposed to be the best environmentally and economically feasible processing route for the production of biofuels from SCG.
Environmental impact assessment of alternative technologies for production of biofuels from spent coffee grounds
No full textAbstract In the strategy to combat climate change that has been caused by the world's overdependence on fossil fuels, current research is focusing on the decarbonisation of the energy sector through the production of renewable cleaner energy, such as biofuels. Spent coffee grounds (SCGs), the waste stream of the coffee brewing industry, are a potential feedstock for the production of valuable products, including biofuels. However, the environmental implications for the valorisation of this valuable waste need to be investigated. This study assesses the environmental impacts of six biomass‐to‐fuel processing technologies using SCGs as a feedstock, with the aim of identifying the most environmentally friendly technology. A cradle‐to‐gate life‐cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted on fast pyrolysis, fermentation, anaerobic digestion (AD), hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), gasification, and biodiesel production. The mass and energy balances obtained from Aspen Plus simulations served as the life‐cycle inventory data. Using the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint (H) and Eco‐Indicator 99 as the assessment methods, potential environmental impacts were calculated in OpenLCA software. Electricity generation and carbon dioxide emissions were the biggest contributors of environmental impacts. For each category, the maximum result was set to 100% and the results of the other variants were displayed in relation to this result. AD, with the smallest total weighted score (160), was the most environmentally friendly biomass‐to‐fuel processing route, while HTL, with the biggest total weighted score (893), was the worst. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the environmental performance of biofuel production from SCGs was highly influenced by energy input flows and the source of energy generation
The ‘Ubiquitous Apostle of International Play’, Wilberforce Vaughan Eaves: The Forgotten Internationalist of Lawn Tennis.
No full textIn the context of sustained imperial dominance during the late Victorian era, foreigners perceived British playing styles, methods and approaches to lawn tennis as ‘blueprints’ for aspiring players. Those seeking to learn the game were largely dependent on observing skilled performers, however before the mid-1890s, most of the best British players declined to venture to Australasia and America, perceiving the opposition as inferior and their championships unworthy of their participation. Moreover, while British-trained coaching-professionals – widely considered the world’s best – offered instruction in a small number of clubs, they also rarely ventured outside of Europe. Alongside these barriers, the parochial and ethnocentric Lawn Tennis Association was less than proactive in their approaches to fostering international relations. One man, however, Dr Wilberforce Vaughan Eaves, did more for the internationalization of the sport than anyone else during this period, travelling extensively in America, South Africa and Australasia, demonstrating his skills, offering instruction and advising officials. Consequently, he helped develop the sport’s international character, laying the foundations for the Davis Cup, helping to foster Anglo-Australasian and Anglo-American relations, and hastening the development of foreign players, particularly in Australasia. This paper assesses the notable contributions of a player, coach and diplomat who has been largely ignored
A Comparative Study of the Mechanics of Flying and Swimming in Some Common Brown Bats
No full textAuthor Institution: Central State College, Wilberforce, Ohi
The Interdependence of Chemical Purity and Scientific Advancement
No full textAuthor Institution: Department of Chemistry, Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohi
The Rhetoric of Sensibility: Argument, Sentiment, and Slavery in the Late Eighteenth Century.
No full textPhDThis dissertation argues that by adapting the style and techniques of
sentimental novels, poetry, and drama to persuasive writing a significant
number of late-eighteenth century political writers were able to develop a
distinct and recognisable rhetoric of sensibility. It develops this argument by
examining eighteenth-century views on the use and purpose of rhetoric, and by
looking at writing in one of the most wide-ranging debates of the lateeighteenth
century, the debate over abolition of the slave trade. Chapter One
looks at traditional ('neo-classical') rhetoric and contrasts this with some of the
many varieties of the eighteenth-century 'new rhetoric'. Chapter Two looks at
particular rhetorical strategies employed during the sentimental period and
identifies the main tropes of the rhetoric of sensibility. Chapter Three examines
the relationship between slavery and literary sentimentalism, looking at the way
in which imaginative writers used sentimental rhetoric to advance the idea of
anti-slavery. It also considers the extent to which abolitionist poems, plays,
and novels themselves contributed to the development of a sentimental
rhetoric. Chapter Four examines the use of sentimental rhetoric in nonfictional
slavery-related tracts and pamphlets. It explores the ways in which
the sentimental rhetorical strategies outlined in Chapter Two were adopted by
both pro and anti-slavery writers of the 1780s. Chapter Five discusses how
William Wilberforce, the main parliamentary advocate for abolition, used
sentimental rhetoric in his early parliamentary speeches. The conclusion
examines anti-slavery writing after the collapse of the first abolition campaign
in 1792. In particular, it examines the use of sentimental rhetoric in responses
to the revolutions in France and Haiti and suggests that after this date
sentimental rhetoric, though never entirely disappearing, was progressively
supplanted by other forms of rhetoric
JOINER, William
No full textTitle: Papers, 1866-1950 Description: 7 linear ft.
Notes: Afro-American educator, administrator, attorney, and author. Family and personal papers, correspondence, organizational affiliation records, teaching and educational material, documents concerning Wilberforce University in Ohio, and Howard University and M Street High in Washington, DC. Also included are school writings by Joiner, financial papers, memorabilia, and photographs relating to Joiner\u27s activities. Includes material relating to the education of Afro-Americans in Washington, DC; together with the Neill family papers, comprised of legal papers belonging to attorney James Lincoln Neill of Washington, DC, and financial records pertaining to the Washington Association of Congregational Churches.
Subjects: Afro-American college administrators -- Ohio -- Wilberforce. lcsh Afro-American lawyers -- Washington (DC) lcsh Afro-American teachers. lcsh Afro-Americans -- Education -- Washington (DC) Neal family. Wilberforce University. Neill, James Lincoln. Neill family. Washington Association of Congregational Churches.
Location: Howard University, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (Washington, DC) NIDS Fiche #: 4.72.143 NUCMC #: DCLV96-A50
Book Review: Responsible journalism and the quest for professional standards in Ghana
No full textBook Title: Responsible journalism and the quest for professional standards in Ghana (2016)Book Author: Africanus Lewil DiedongAccra: Woeli Publishing Services. 129 pages
Roundtable 2: Perspectives on Presidential Leadership with Past HBCU Presidents from Private HBCUs, June 14, 2012
No full textVideo interviews with a complementing monograph providing reflections of former presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities discussing leadership, mission, challenges, successes, and issues of race and education. Moderator: Dr. Barbara R. Hatton, President, South Carolina State University 1992-1995, President, Knoxville College 1997-2005 Panelists: Samuel DuBois Cook, Ph.D., President, Dillard University 1974-1997. Wiley A. Purdue, LLD., M.B.A., Acting President, Morehouse College 1994-1995. Charles E. Taylor, Ph.D., President, Wilberforce University 1976-1984; President, Morris Brown College 2002-2003. Robert Threat, Ed.D., President, Morris Brown College 1973-1984. W. Clyde Williams, Ph.D., President, Miles College 1971 �1986; President, Trenholm State Technical College, 1998-2001
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